1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to network security, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for implementing security applications efficiently in a network environment containing several gateway systems.
2. Related Art
A networked environment generally contains several systems (from which users access various resources or at which resources are available for access) connected by a network. A network in turn contains various switches connecting the systems by appropriate communication paths, as is well known in the relevant arts.
Security applications are often implemented in networked environments, generally to protect systems from undesirable packets. In general, a security application examines the content (typically header as well as payload) of various packets and determines whether to forward or block the packets. The packets are often scanned for determining various threats such as DOS attacks and viruses, and packets may be blocked depending on the level of security threat detected.
Security applications are often implemented on several security devices (often termed as security gateways) provided along with the network. The security devices may include gateways which provide other utilities such as switching (in which case the switch is often referred to as a gateway), and special purpose devices dedicated for security related applications alone.
It is generally desirable that the security application(s) be implemented efficiently so that resource requirements such as processing power and/or memory are reduced.